Clothes-fastener for wire clothes-lines



(No Model.) I

. K. P. RIGE & J. P. BOSS.

CLOTHES FASTENER FOR WIRE CLOTHES LINES.

Patented Marfli, 1893.

Ulivirnn STATES FATENT Grace.

KENESS F. RICE AND JAMES PQDOSS, OF EUREKA SPRINGS, ARKANSAS.

.CLOTHES-FASTENER FOR WIRE CLOTHES-LINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent-No. 492,835, dated March '7, 1893.

Application filed October 10, 1892.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, KENESS F. RICE and JAMES P. Doss, citizens of the United States, residing at Eureka Springs, in the county of Carroll and State of Arkansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clothes-Fasteners for Wire Clothes-Lines; and We do hereby declare the following-to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to certain improvements in clothes holders for clothes lines and is more especially adapted to Wire clothes lines.

It consists in certain details of construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter more particularly described in the specification, illustrated in the drawings, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a front elevation. Fig. 2 abottom view. Fig. 3 a cross section through the line 0c:1c of Fig. 1.

Its object is to provide a clothes fastener having an elastic central coil or eye adapted to tightly engage the line when in its normal position with spring arms extending outwardly to clamp or hold the clothes to the line, so arranged as to release or loosen the central coil when the arms are raised.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, A represents the line upon which the clothes to be dried are suspended.

B. is the holder which is formed of a single piece of wire or other suitable material bent to form a central coil or eye d. adapted to surround and engage the line, and arms e e extending from opposite ends of the coil. These arms are bent upward and backward over the coil or eye d, along the line and made to pass or cross each other in opposite directions as shown in Fig. 1, the purpose of which will be presently explained. The outer or free end of each arm is bent to form a coil or spiral g at right angles with the central coil 01 and somewhat larger. The object of this coil 9 is to form a clamp to embrace the sides of the Serial No. 448,375. (No model.)

line which is received between the folds or spiral rings when the fastener is in its normal position on the line as shown in Fig. 2.

It will be observed that the effect of reversing the arms e. or bending them backward over the central coil d is to open or loosen said coil when the arms are raised, whereas, when the arms extend directly outward from the ends of the coil as in clothes holders heretofore constructed, having a coil or eye to engage the line, the opposite effect is produced and the coil is tightened, thereby making it difficult to slide the fastener along the line for the purpose of gripping, the clothes.

By our construction the coildmay be made to tightly grip the line at all times except when necessary to slide the holder along the line for the purpose of clamping the clothes to the line. At such times the arms are raised thus opening and loosening the coil 01, and enabling the holder to be readily and easily manipulated.

While We have shown a spiral coil as the clampg at the ends of the arms 6 it will be obvious that any other form of bond may be employed that will effect the same purpose without departing from our invention.

Having thus described our invention, What we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A clothes holder for clothes lines formed from a single piece of wire bent into a central coil oreye adapted to engage the line, and arms bent back and crossing each other in the plane of the coil substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. A clothes holder formed from a single piece of wire having a central coil or eye, arms extending from the ends of the coil, bent back to cross each other along the coil and their free ends bent to form holding clamps substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

KENESS F. RICE.

JAMES P. DOSS.

Witnesses: O. G. WHITE, CHARLES S. W. PENDERGRASS. 

